Feature

One and only: Josh Harrop

30 Jun 2018

Former Man Utd midfielder recalls his opening strike in his single PL appearance

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It's a select group; those who have only played in one Premier League match and scored. This week we remember the four "one-hit wonders".

Josh Harrop

Manchester United youngster Josh Harrop wasn't sure what to expect when, three days before the final day of 2016/17, manager Jose Mourinho approached him in the canteen.

"He asked me if I was ready and wanted to play," Harrop recalls. "I didn't know if he was being serious so I just tried to be enthusiastic and said, 'I'm ready, I want my chance.'

"He said, 'Well you’re going to get it, I'm going to play you.' I kept it on the quiet until the day. I only told my mum, dad and sister."

The midfielder, aged 21 at the time, made his debut against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford and scored a fine 15th-minute opener in a 2-0 win.

Jinking into the box from the left side and firing powerfully across Wayne Hennessey, Harrop became the fourth and most recent player to score in their single Premier League appearance.

'It was hard to leave'

Despite the success of his debut, he departed Man Utd a month later, joining Championship club Preston North End.

"It was hard to leave," says Harrop. "They offered me a three-year contract but before that match I'd already thought about taking a step somewhere else, to go and play and prove myself.

"I don't want to stay in the 'one and only' club. I'm still young, I'm only 22, so hopefully I'll make that step and score a few more in the Premier League."

Also in this series

Part 1: One and only: Aidan Newhouse
Part 2: One and only: Gary Bull
Part 3: One and only: Chris David

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